Monday, October 13, 2014

Beneath The Scars by Melanie Moreland ~ Blog Tour and Giveaway

Synopsis

The sound of the ocean, the crash of the waves as they kick up against the sand and rocks—these are the only sounds Megan Greene wants to hear. She wants to leave the rest of the world behind, and find some peace.
The offer of a private house on the beach, set in a small town in Maine, is perfect. Time to think—to be by herself. It’s all she wants. It’s the escape she needs.
Until she stumbles across the painting that seems to echo her own chaotic mindset.
Until she meets the unfriendly artist behind the stormy painting and discovers his secrets.
All Zachary Adams wants is to be left alone. His canvases, and the unending scope of the ocean and sand, are his life. They direct him—fill his hours. Bring him focus.
Until she enters his life.
She dredges up memories of the past—the haunting images he has hidden for years; the fears he has never shared.
A story he keeps buried below the surface.
Can she make him see what he is missing? Can he trust her enough to believe?
Together they embark on a journey where their pasts collide and threaten to tear them apart.
Will their fragile bond hold or wash away with the ebbing tide?

Purchase Link

Lisa’s Review

4.5 Stars

“We all have scars. The only difference is some of them are easier to see.”

Melanie Moreland is back with yet another romantic tale about finding love when one least expects it with her novel Beneath the Scars. Set in a picturesque coastal community in New England, this is a book about two individuals who are both scarred in different ways. It’s about how they embark on a journey that changes the scope of their landscape forever.

Megan Greene has come to Cliff’s Edge to the private oceanfront beach house of a good friend to simply get away and recuperate. With her career in shambles, it is the escape she requires in order to find balance in her life once again, to find the peace and solace she desperately craves to be able to get back on track with her life and start fresh. When she sees her neighbor out one day with his dog she makes an attempt to introduce herself only to be rudely shunned. Even with this insolent introduction, Megan can’t help but be intrigued by the cantankerous and mysterious man.

Zachary Adams is a man who keeps to himself, quietly losing himself in his paintings. His life is one of solitude where he can fill his days surrounding himself with the sounds and splendor of the ocean and sand that provide the backdrop to many of his intense and emotionally raw pieces of art. His paintings provide him relief and help him to focus forever keeping him from losing himself to the darkness that threatens to consume him. The last things Zachary needs is a nosy yet enchanting new neighbor who is bringing feelings he has not had for a very long time to the surface causing a maelstrom of emotions in his already chaotic mind.

“Don’t waste your time, Megan. I’m not some pitiful creature you can save.” I laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “I can’t be saved….at all.”

When Megan discovers that Zachary is the artist of a painting on display at the town’s gallery that utterly entranced and captivated her, she can’t seem to walk away and leave well enough alone. The painting is brought to life in her mind and she wants to not only acquire the picture but also get to know the artist. Despite Zachary’s obvious disdain towards her invasion of his privacy and his solitude, Megan persists and slowly finds her way into the life of this enigmatic man who is hiding so much. Zachary is one to keep his distance from people given his disfigured flesh and scarred psyche; however, he is attracted and captivated by Megan and is unable to keep her from barreling into his life. As the two of them become closer and their feelings for one another become more profound, will their newly found and fragile bond be able to withstand the turmoil when the past begins to invade their serene little world?

I was absorbed in this story from beginning to end. Zachary was such a damaged soul, with the evidence of his torment not only on his flesh but also visible in the way he kept people out of his life. Allowing Megan in and building a trusting relationship was a painstakingly slow process and one that was put to the test. Zachary could not understand how someone like Megan could see beyond his disfigurements, see the man he had become. His past was not a pretty one and the ghosts that haunted him were daunting. Simultaneously, Zachary’s love and support for Megan allow her to look to the future with a more hope-filled gaze. She came to Cliff’s Edge a devastated and betrayed woman and he helped her rebuild once again. The path to a happy forever for Zachary and Megan was curvy one and every step taken was a hard-earned one. But there was also much beauty in their journey as they found their way through the storm.

I absolutely loved the setting where this book took place, a small coastal town called Cliff’s Edge off the coast of Maine. Ms. Moreland does a stellar job transporting her reader into this quaint and quiet slice of heaven with sweeping landscapes where you could settle in around the fire or walk along the rocky shores captivated by the beauty and sounds of the crashing waves. This author’s vivid descriptions brought everything to life in such a way that it was not hard to simply envision myself right in the midst of such beauty. It definitely made for the perfect setting where Megan and Zachary’s story could play out.

All in all, Beneath the Scars was a wonderful story about healing, love and forgiveness and allowing oneself to accept the love that they feel they don’t deserve. It is one of those novels that had my heart lurching as well as had me happily sighing in delight. A book that my romantic heart utterly rejoiced in!

“I didn’t think there was anyone as sweet as you left in this world.”

“You weren’t looking in the right places.”

“I wasn’t looking at all,” he replied. “Yet, somehow you found me.”

AUTHOR BIO

Melanie Moreland lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her husband and fur children. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
Known as the quiet one with the big laugh, Melanie works for the sporting teams of a local university. Her (box) office job, while demanding, is rewarding as she cheers on her team to victory.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and somewhat challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties and socialize, and also enjoys travelling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie delights in writing a good romance story with some bumps along the way, but is a true believer in happily ever after. When her head isn’t buried in a book, it is bent over a keyboard, furiously typing away as her characters dictate their creative storylines, to her even more inspired tales, for all to enjoy.